Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #1,675
Written 9/9/09
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Buy it... if you want a safe, gloriously harmonic starting point
from which to explore Christopher Young's extensive work in the horror
genre.
Avoid it... if you expect either a continuation of Howard Shore's
constructs from The Fly or an abundance the truly challenging
dissonance more typical to the genre.
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| Young |
The Fly II: (Christopher Young) So lame was the
production of the sequel to the hit 1986 horror film The Fly that
the crew and most of the cast begged out or weren't invited back for
budgetary reasons. The 1989 continuation of David Cronenberg's grotesque
but tragically appealing reinvention of the classic concept was
shameless in nearly every regard. Geena Davis did not return to give
birth to the hybrid nemesis in this picture and special effects guru
Chris Walas helmed the lifeless, more conventional horror formula.
Despite the many connections to the previous film, The Fly II is
simply an excuse to see the son of Jeff Goldblum's unfortunate character
grow up prematurely because of his partial housefly DNA and become, not
surprisingly, a maniacal killer. Box office success was not destined for
The Fly II, and the majority of people inflicted with it many
years later are only familiar with it because of a common packaging of
the two films together on DVD. One of the few genuinely redeeming
aspects of The Fly II was its score by rising composer
Christopher Young, whose career was already well on the way to being
defined by such trashy horror flicks. At the time, Young was wary of the
fact that his destiny seemed attached to these absolutely wretched
productions, though he has always countered by reaffirming his
attraction to the genre and the opportunity that it gives him to unleash
the kind of orchestral force not allowed in most other kinds of films.
This particular assignment followed his first two Hellraiser
scores, the latter one a modern classic in the genre with its incredibly
massive size. Young was also following a highly respected score written
by Howard Shore for The Fly, one that directly addressed the
melodramatic tragedy of the story with a distinctly operatic tone. Young
apparently decided not to incorporate any of Shore's primary ideas from
The Fly into the sequel, despite the fact that footage of
Goldblum and other story elements directly carry over. On the other
hand, Young does avail himself of Shore's tone, taking the harmonious
aspects of the previous composer's drama and extending them into a
fantasy realm that allows for far more fluid presentations. In fact, if
Shore's score is best described as morbid, then Young's could oddly be
termed beautiful. There is still a heavy sense of oppressive weight to
the tone of Young's score, but it has a sense of wonderment that makes
it much more accessible. For many, The Fly II will be the most
advisable starting point from which to explore the composer's lengthy
success in the horror genre.
In one of the surprise highlights of Young's career,
The Fly II merges the best instrumentation and expansive
harmonics from
Hellraiser II with a simmering fantasy atmosphere
that would be revisited in
Species. The broad, brass title theme,
heard best in "The Fly II" and "Fly Variations," is a direct holdover in
style from the
Hellraiser series, staunchly menacing and yet so
grandiose in its posture that it's strangely heroic in a twisted way.
Secondary phrases on strings would directly inform
Species (the
cue "Dad" is a frightfully accurate foreshadowing of the later score),
and it is in these extended, ponderous explorations on purely harmonic
strings that Young provides significant beauty in the score. Whimsical
tones in "Come Fly With Me," the second half of "Fly Variations," "Bay
17 Mysteries," and "Dad" offer ten of the most lovely minutes of music
Young has every produced. The solo performances of the title theme in
"Fly Variations" (on violin) and "Bay 17 Mysteries" (on horn) are
remarkably effective. Related material sometimes dances into almost
perverse optimism, with "The Spider and the Fly" using a slight waltz
rhythm to achieve deviousness that Danny Elfman might have employed at
the time. The xylophone in "Dad" achieves the same effect to a lesser
degree. The straight horror cues, led by the ensemble dissonance of
"Musica Domestica Metastasis" and "More is Coming," use wailing,
off-pitch brass to suggest the amplification of an insect's buzzing. Key
to the success of
The Fly II is Young's instrumental choices. The
familiar employment of driving, low brass on key during thematic
statements is effective, though more important is the application of
high woodwinds and percussion to give the recording truly dynamic scope.
In several of the cues, Young once again utilizes the accelerated
tapping of a cymbal to highlight measures with spine-tingling precision.
Having slightly less of an impact is the delicately-utilized triangle.
You have to love the shrieking flute blasts atop the major thematic
performances; the trumpets attempt the same, but some irritating flubs
in their ranks are a disappointment (both can be heard in "What's The
Magic Word?"). The recording is provided a slightly wet mix, enhancing
the fantasy aspect (and especially the tapped cymbals). Ultimately,
though, it's the absolutely massive, minor-key harmony built in to
almost all of the ensemble performances in
The Fly II that makes
it a pleasure to revisit every Halloween night. If only Young had
cleverly employed Shore's thematic material, this would be a rare
five-star score in the genre. A re-issue of a 1989 Varèse
Sarabande album along with Shore's score in 2005 makes the latter 2-CD
set a very easy recommendation. The sound quality on Young's score,
despite remastering for the 2005 album, is about the same on both
products. Worlds could be enslaved to this title theme!
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
Bias Check:
For Christopher Young reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.48
(in 27 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.17
(in 10,920 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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